Heart Stopping
by TotalCSIfan
Summary: A trip to Barstow, California takes a terrifying turn! Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing of CSI

I'd like to thank Vegas Nevel 3 for giving me this idea!

Heart Stopping

"Bye, drive safe, enjoy your conference. We'll see you in a few days." Jackie said as she gave him a kiss.

"Thanks. I'll miss you guys." Nick said as he said goodbye to all the kids.

"Bye Dada." Hundley said with tears running down her little cheeks.

"Don't cry kiddo, I'll only be gone a few days." He told her softly.

Hundley sniffled.

"Stay here." The little girl pleaded.

He looked at Jackie.

"Maybe I don't need to go." He told Jackie.

"Go, she'll be fine." Jackie whispered in his ear.

"We'll talk to daddy on the phone every day sweetie pie." Jackie promised her.

Hundley just continued to sniffle.

"Go." Jackie whispered to him again.

Nick gave the kids one last smile and then headed out.

He had been looking forward to this entomology conference in Barstow, California for a long time but he had to drive because the lab was short on funds and couldn't afford for him to fly.

Before he got out of town he stopped and bought something to drink and then hit the road again.

At a stoplight he took his wallet back out of his pocket to make certain he had his driver's license with him, he did, but he didn't have time to put it back in his pocket the light turned green so he just tossed it on the seat for now.

He rolled down both the driver's side window and the passenger window to get some air from the gentle breeze blowing, and turned up the radio.

Everything was going fine until suddenly he felt the car jerk, his truck had a flat tire but before he could correct it the truck went careening down a steep embankment, the truck flipped through the air once before coming to a rest, his wallet flying out the open window.

Nick was knocked out cold from hitting his head during the flip.

His promise to Hundley to see her in just a few days very well might not happen now.

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

Several hours later Jackie was at home with the kids.

Boone was playing a game called _beat up my twin brother Ryan and make him cry_ and Jackie was playing referee.

She then fed the kids dinner and after dinner when she looked at the clock she got a weird feeling, Nick should have called to tell her he made it to Barstow by now.

She dialed his cell phone number and got no answer.

She waited another half hour and then tried again, same result. She then started calling people from the lab and no one had heard from him either, she was freaking out.

It was time for the kids' bedtime and they wanted to talk to their daddy, she'd promised them they could talk to him at night after all.

She had to fib to them and tell them that daddy's phone wasn't working. They were mad but at least they bought the lie.

Jackie wanted to believe it herself but she didn't, something was wrong, she knew it, she knew it to the core of her soul.


	3. Chapter 3

Nick's cell phone rang in the back seat of the car, where it had landed after spiraling down the embankment.

 _Somebody shut that damn noise off._ Nick thought to himself groggily, he was conscious but completely out of it.

Nick was just about ready to drift off when someone's voice snapped him awake again.

"Sir, are you alright?" Nick looked over and saw two paramedics standing there.

"I think so, I think my pinky finger is broken though."

"Alright, we're going to get you out of there, a passing motorist saw the skid marks and called 911."

"Thank you." Nick replied.

"Sir, what's your name?"

"I don't know." Nick replied.

"Ok, are you married?" the paramedic asked as he looked down at Nick's hand at his gold band on his finger.

"I don't know."

The paramedics got Nick out of the car and rushed him to the nearest hospital, still having no clue who he was!

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4

Jackie couldn't stand it anymore, she had to do something. She picked up her phone and looked up a hospital and called their number.

"Hi, I was wondering if anyone by the name of Nick Stokes was admitted tonight? My husband was driving to Barstow California from Las Vegas and he never called to tell me he arrived and I'm very worried about him." Jackie said with a shaking voice.

"Let me check ma'am." The friendly woman replied.

"Thank you."

"I'm sorry, no one was admitted with that name. I hope your husband is alright." The woman told her.

"Thank you."

Jackie called two more hospitals but got the same answer.

Tears were streaming down her face as she debated what to do, she finally decided to try one more nearby hospital. When someone answered Jackie told the woman what she had told the other three hospitals.

"Actually ma'am, no one by that name was admitted but we have a gentleman here that was involved in a car accident and he doesn't know who he is. Can you describe your husband for me?"

Jackie was so stunned she nearly dropped the phone.

"He's uh, he's about 5'11, he's got short dark hair, brown eyes, he's got a bullet wound scar on his right shoulder, he has a deep circular scar on his right ring finger from a very severe fire ant bite." Jackie's tears cascaded down her face.

"I will be right back ma'am, stay on the phone alright."

"Ok." Jackie agreed.

Jackie was shaking, she didn't know what to hope for. On one hand if this was Nick that was a relief, but on the other if it was, how severe are his injuries if he doesn't even know who he is?

"Ma'am?"

"Yes, I'm still here." Jackie said frantically.

"The description you gave us matches your husband, he's here."

"Is he going to be alright?" Jackie asked in a near panic.

"I can't give you any details over the phone, I'm sorry."

"I'll be there as soon as I can." Jackie promised as she hung up.

She then immediately called her parents.

They were at her house within minutes.

They all agreed that her mom would stay with the kids and her dad would drive her to the hospital which was about a half hour outside of Vegas.

After what seemed like five lifetimes Jackie and her dad burst into the hospital.

"I'm Jackie Stokes." She told the first hospital worker she saw.

"Hi Jackie, I'm Renee, we spoke on the phone. Let me get Dr. Sanderson."

Within moments a doctor appeared.

He led Jackie and her dad into a room so they could talk.

"Mrs. Stokes your husband is fortunate, the only injury he sustained is a broken pinky finger and a mild concussion. He does have memory loss as a result of the concussion but we fully expect that to be only temporary, although I can't give you a timetable as to when his memory will return."

"I'm just glad he's going to be alright, can I see him?" She asked.

"Of course, but don't be alarmed if he doesn't know who you are."

Jackie, her dad, and the doctor left the room and started walking down the hall.

"Do you know what caused the accident?" Jackie asked.

"Yes ma'am, he blew a tire and it caused him to careen down an embankment."

Upon hearing that Jackie wanted to vomit.

When the doctor opened the door to Nick's room Jackie rushed to his side.

"Nicky, thank God you're alright." She said as she took his hand in her own before leaning down and kissing him.

Nick looked quite startled after the kiss ended.

"Who are you?" He asked bewildered.

"It's me honey, Jackie."

Nick looked over at the nurse.

"I don't know this woman." He told her.

"Nicky, it's Jackie, your wife, Jacks." She told him with a smile as she looked deep into his gorgeous brown eyes, imploring him to remember as her own green eyes filled with tears.

"I'm sorry, I don't know you." He told her.

Jackie gently dropped his hand and sprinted out of the room as the tears that were in her eyes spilled over onto her cheeks.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Jackie was out in the hallway all of two seconds before hands wrapped around her.

"Hey, come on now, you heard the doctor, he'll come out of it." A deep familiar male voice comforted.

Jackie turned and sobbed into her dad's shirt as if she was a little girl again.

He'd seen the look on Jackie's face when Nick said he didn't know her and he had watched her heart be shattered in that moment and under _any_ other circumstance he would have punched his son-in-law right in the face for doing that to his daughter but he'd have to give Nick a pass, this wasn't his fault after all.

"I don't know what to do." Jackie said.

"You need to go dry your eyes, take some deep breaths, and then get back in that room." Her dad told her.

"I can't."

"Yes you can, you two have been through way worse than this."

"Will you come with me?"

"Of course."

Jackie nodded and then looked for a bathroom so she could go dry her eyes.

When she was finished she walked back to Nick's room.

"Ready?" Her dad asked.

"Yes." She told him.

She took one last deep breath and then opened Nick's hospital door.

Nick smiled slightly when she entered.

"Listen, ma'am, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, it was awful nice of you to come visit me in the hospital." Nick told her.

Jackie ignored the fact that he called her ma'am and still didn't know her, she even managed to return his smile.

"I wouldn't be anywhere else." She told him.

He grinned at her, he liked this stranger.

Two days passed and Nick still didn't remember anyone, he still didn't know his own name, but he was beginning to like Jackie more and more, she didn't leave his bedside and he would dose off and on throughout the day and each and every time he woke up she was still sitting in a chair right next to him.

"I'm tired, I'm going to shut my eyes, is that alright?" He asked her.

"Sure, go ahead." Jackie said as she offered him a smile.

Nick didn't know how long he slept for but when he woke up from his nap he was dismayed to see Jackie's chair empty.

 _She finally left me_ he thought to himself sadly.

"How are you doing?" A cheerful nurse asked as she walked into his room.

"I'm good, but do you happen to know where that nice lady went and if she'll be back?" He asked as he nodded to Jackie's empty chair.

"She'll be right back, she just ran down to the cafeteria for some coffee." She assured him.

Nick couldn't help but smile to himself, he was glad she was coming back.

"Tell me, do you think she'd go out with me once I get out of here?"

The nurse smiled at him.

"I think she would love that."

Nick's grin got even bigger.

Jackie entered the room with her iced coffee in her hand a few minutes later.

"What's that?" Nick asked.

"It's a caramel iced coffee." She replied as she smiled and then took a seat in the now familiar chair by his bed.

"You drink iced coffee, ick." He told her.

 _If you don't know that about me you really don't know who I am._ Jackie thought silently to herself.

Nick's gaze shifted from her to the door.

Jackie looked up and saw her in-laws enter the room.

Jackie called them and told them what happened about a half hour after she found out where Nick was and they got there as fast as they could, and like Jackie they'd stayed by Nick's side but he didn't know them either which was horrible on both of them but especially on Jill, she'd already lost one of her daughters in a horrible car accident, she couldn't even stand to think of losing one of her sons the same way and it tore her heart out that Nick didn't know who she was.

They all stayed and visited with one another until Nick got tired again and fell asleep.

That night Nick's parents went home to help Jackie's parents with the kids while Jackie slept in the chair by Nick's bed.

Jackie's wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep when she felt someone nudging her shoulder.

She woke up and noticed Nick was smiling at her.

"Hi." She told him with a smile.

"Hi Jacks." He told her.

"What did you call me?" She asked excitedly, she was so happy she wanted to cry but she also wanted to be sure her ears were not playing tricks on her.

"Jacks." He said again, looking slightly puzzled by her reaction.

"Oh Nicky, you're back, thank god." She exclaimed happily as tears started streaming down her face.

"What do you mean I'm back, where did I go?"

"You got in a car accident honey and you got a concussion and as a result you didn't know your name, you didn't know me, your parents, my parents, you didn't know anyone."

Nick got wide eyed, he couldn't believe what she was telling him, he remembered nothing about what had been going on.

"How long have I been like this?"

"About two and a half days, you were driving to Barstow for your entomology conference and your truck blew a tire and you careened down an embankment and you got a concussion. What's the last thing you remember?"

"I remember stopping at a gas station in Vegas to get something to drink, and I remember driving down the highway, getting the flat tire and then going down the embankment and that's all I remember until I woke up just now and saw you sitting here."

"I'm just so glad you are back, and you know who is going to be even more excited?" She asked.

"My mom?"

"Well yes her too of course but I meant the kids, I haven't let them talk to you because I knew you wouldn't remember them and I didn't want to scare them and man are they going to be happy to see you."

His grin got huge.

"Are they here?" He asked her excitedly.

"They are staying with my parents, it's the middle of the night but I'll have my parents bring them first thing in the morning, I promise." She told him, her smile matching his.

"Can I get you anything right now, if not I'm going to go call everyone, my family, your family, and the team. Your team has all been taking turns coming to see you."

He smiled.

"Wait, I thought you said it was the middle of the night, won't everyone except the team be asleep?"

"Yes, but I promised your mom that if there was any news I'd call her right away, I'd say you remembering everyone again is huge news and I'm scared of what she will do to me if I don't keep my promise to her."

He laughed.

"You better go make your calls."

She smiled and then leaned over and kissed him.

"I love you so much." She told him.

"Love you more." He promised, and there was no doubt in her mind that he meant every word.

The End!


End file.
